New Delhi, Nov 9 (Inditop.com) The home ministry Monday asked voters in Jharkhand not to get cowed down by threats of violence by Maoist rebels during the upcoming state assembly elections and assured them that all arrangements were on to ensure a peaceful poll.
The ministry asked voters to disregard statements of Communist Party of India-Maoist leaders, Mallojulla Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji and Samar Jee alias Anmol, stating that the rebels would “target” the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and “punish” those who participate in the five-phased election.
“These threats are of a piece with the threats held out in Jharkhand during the parliament elections in May 2009. Nevertheless, over 57 percent of the electorate voted in the elections, in a strong rebuff to the Maoists,” the ministry said in a statement.
Referring to a recent article in the Economic and Political Weekly, the banned outfit has said: “We think that the trend of boycott will grow stronger as the revolutionary movement grows stronger, the organs of people’s revolutionary power come into being in vast tracts of the country, the armed strength of the people grows and the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) makes impressive gains and wins decisive victories in some areas.”
The ministry, referring to the statement, said: “We would like to draw attention to the above statements and to ask all those who believe in democracy and a republican form of government to ponder over the implications of these statements and threats.”
The ministry has decided to deploy over 300 companies (36,000 troopers) of para-military forces in the elections that begin Nov 25 and end Dec 18. Counting will be on Dec 23.
